Sherlock Holmes presented several different sets and lighting conditions. Most scenes take place in some room, and mostly we had fairly decent lighting. We move folks closer together than they would be during the show, but even then, they often still appear spread out.
It’s tough to have them close in more and still convey the mood of the scene. Sometimes, I can move myself to help compress them in a natural way, but here I didn’t want to make one character larger, more important than another. They are at this point on equal footing, thus the composition you see.
Sherlock’s home was a splash of warm colors, predominantly reds. The background is busy which is a challenge for a photograph. We at least have nicely exposed faces to help draw the actors from the background. Both Holmes and Watson lean in, helping to pull us toward Terese. Actors are great models in that way. They take direction well, and sometimes hold an uncomfortable position longer than they should have to.
The gas chamber scene was my favorite in spite of the very low light. Okay, crank up the ISO, drop the shutter speed, and hope the actors can hold still. I’m using a tripod, so my end is covered. Here I did move to house-left (stage right) to compress the scene a bit. I also wanted a fuller-on view of Holmes’ face. He’s up the stairs, above the evil-doers in every way.
Here, Holmes lights up his cigar in the gas chamber while Larabee can only hope there’s no residual gas. We had a couple shots involving fire. I set things up, let the actors know I’m ready, then the match is struck and I fire away. I end up with several shots from which to choose – do I want the biggest flame or the most interesting? Usually the latter, but big is usually interesting, too!
I love the blue lights. The mood, the time of day, are undeniable. We had a bit of brighter light behind the main action which was a little distracting, although some quick work in post helps that. I think those lights were probably the ones we bumped up to try for a touch more light for photographing the scene. Those blue gels seem to suck a lot of the light away.
Back in normal lighting, we have the set for the final scene with Watson and Alice. Expressions alone tell us what’s happening. How cool is that?
And a final embrace.
Another show-photo shoot complete.
